Radically Retired

Tag: South Texas

  • No Final Verdict

    No Final Verdict

    A couple of weeks ago, we drove past this once regal, but now old and dilapidated house in Edinburg, Texas.

    When I took the photo into Google Lens … Ai assist (which is wrong over 50% of the time), identified it as “The Closner House”, built by John Closner, an early developer and political figure in the area.

    The house is located on Closner Rd, which is likely where ai got things twisted.

    I then Googled the Closner house and added -ai to my search (this brings up a few more reputable sources before the ai assist answers), and the image that came up looked like an entirely different house.

    Further research took me to a Facebook page where people were asking about the house in my feature photo.

    Some said it was the Stephens house while others corrected that to Stevens, but attributed different occupations to the different spellings of the surname. Some said it was the Closner house (likely after an ai-assisted Google search). This was corrected by others in the group who said that the Closner house built by John Closner was at a different location.

    The jury is definitely out on this one, so I guess I’ll just leave it to imagination of what this house was like in its heyday.

  • Angle Parking

    Angle Parking

    This year, some of our adventures have included visting the downtown areas of cities and towns near to us.

    Hidalgo is home to our county seat.

    Welcome to downtown Hildago, Texas 🤠

  • Roses in January

    Roses in January

    While friends and family at home in southern Saskatchewan, Canada are battling strong winds, icy roads, and hazardous driving and outdoor walking conditions, I feel very blessed to be able to walk outside our front door door here in south Texas to practice my floral photography on our neighbour’s repeat blooming climbing rose.

  • Juxtaposition

    Juxtaposition

    Alongside a secondary highway, in San Juan, Texas, there’s a little park that we pass often.

    There’s a mini Lady Liberty, so we’ve often wondered what the park was all about.

    Last week, we finally stopped to check it out.

    The park is a war memorial, dedicated to armed forces members from the area who died serving their country in various wars since WW2 . Its name is Liberty Park.

    The subject of this post, and my feature photo is the juxtaposition of the words carved in the back of the bench and the abandoned items on the bench that hinted that maybe someone had spent the night there. What would be your guess about this scene?

  • NYE from Our Back Yard

    NYE from Our Back Yard

    The fireworks in our area of deep south Texas start on Christmas Eve and continue every night, with a few small bursts, until the grand finale on New Year’s Eve.

    We can watch them from our back yard and if I take a walk around the yard, we’re surrounded by fireworks in all of the nearby neighbourhoods.

    After the massive midnight display, the pops and big bangs continue until around 3 am and because our houses aren’t insulated and our roofs are mostly metal, sometimes a particularly loud pop nearby can sound like it’s directly over our roof or even in an adjacent room.

    This was a completely foreign custom to us when we first started wintering here, but after six years, we’ve grown accustomed to it and actually look forward to it, even if it means a mostly sleepless night … thus, my late post today.

    As is my custom, on New Year’s Day, I pop open a bottle of prosecco after lunch, and toast the new year with a mimosa.

    Cheers to 2026, and with the new year, I look forward to positive changes in my life, and in the world at large.

    I wish all of you health and happiness in the coming year!

  • Just Ask a Question

    Just Ask a Question

    Before we left Starbase, we noticed one Tesla truck that was bright orange.

    It stood out from the pack of identical metal coloured ev’s like the proverbial sore thumb.

    There was a fellow plugging it in to the charger and his wife/girlfriend was taking photos. There was another couple nearby who appeared to own one of the grey metallic clones.

    Hubs thought that these people looked approachable, so he decided to stop and ask them some questions about the cyber trucks.

    They were all extremely obliging, answered all of hubs’ questions, and even invited us to their Mars-themed beach party, which was to take place last Saturday evening.

    We asked if they were Space X employees and they told us they were from Dallas and Missouri and were just major Tesla fans visiting the area over Christmas.

    They told hubs that once you buy a Tesla cyber truck, you can customize it any way you wish to.

    The young couple that owned the orange Tesla, had every electric kitchen appliance you could think of, plugged in to the box of the truck!

    Friendly and fun folks
    Hubs shirt matched!
    They even had a sleeping tent on top!
    Funny name, and there’s a
    story behind it, of course

    Once again, we learned that people are friendly and kind – all you have to do sometimes is ask a question.

    P.S. Although we appreciated the invitation, we didn’t attend the Mars Beach Party. I would imagine that it was pretty “far out, man!”

  • Lost in Space on Christmas Day

    Lost in Space on Christmas Day

    Our Christmas Day here in SouthTexas involves an hour’s drive over to Starbase at Boca Chica Beach.

    This past year, Elon Musk was able to rename Boca Chica Village and the surrounding area to Starbase.

    Each year, the growth in the area is mind-boggling. Christmas day is a great day to visit because many of the employees have the day off, and there aren’t many tourists.

    This year, in addition to the massive expansion happening at the rocket production facility, there was a new hotel in progress, and Tesla Trucks galore.

    Rocket production facility will be over one million square feet when completed
    New hotel behind the rocket production facility
    Tesla trucks everywhere

    We met a safety technician who explained to us that when the sales of Tesla vehicles dove this past year, Mr. Musk brought all of these trucks (and more in other lots at Starbase) for his Space X employees to lease at very reasonable rates.

    This was part one of our Christmas day drive.

  • Sand Sculpture Paradise

    Sand Sculpture Paradise

    Every year, before Christmas, we make the hour drive over to South Padre Island, TX to take in the new sand sculptures.

    These amazing works of art are sculpted by sand artists from all over the world.

    The only sculpture you’re allowed to touch is Santa’s chair, and I once again tried it out.

    “I’ve been a very good girl, Santa!”
  • A Lucky Catch

    A Lucky Catch

    A few days ago, as a part of our usual pre-Christmas activities, hubs and I headed to South Padre Island.

    One of our favourite activities while there, is to sit and watch the seagulls and pelicans as they scavenge and fish over the deep blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

    The seagulls were especially plentiful, the day was windy, and I was trying to catch a shot of even one gull soaring on the wind current above us.

    I had no luck with my plan, but was completely shocked and amazed when we arrived home and I reviewed my photos to see this.

    The direction of the wings is something I’d never seen before, so to say I’m well-pleased with this accidental shot is an understatement.

  • Ranch Hand Weekend

    Ranch Hand Weekend

    Once every year, King Ranch – the biggest working ranch in the USA, hosts a breakfast for the public. All monies collected are donated to local charities. This is the only day all year that private vehicles are allowed on the ranch proper.

    Hubs and I have attended the breakfast twice since 2019, once by ourselves, and once a couple of seasons ago, with friends from home who were ranchers at one time. This year, along with these same friends, we skipped the breakfast, but did the bus tour of the ranch.

    The bus tour is open year round and is a great way to spend 1.5 hours learning about this 825,000 acre (in South Texas) massive ranching operation.

    On the same weekend as the ranch hand breakfast, the city of Kingsville hosts a festival, complete with vendors, food and art demonstrations, rides for kids, entertainment, and lots of opportunities to get to know the locals. We decided to do the bus tour on the morning of the festival, so we could spend some time checking out the happenings in town, and then head out for the tour after lunch.

    Unfortunately, just as the bus tour was about to begin, the rain started. We went anyways and, with the exception of not many photo ops through the bus windows, we didn’t regret it.

    At the train museum in Kingsville, we met some young dancers preparing for their performance
    All were very obliging to have their photos taken
    I’ve always wanted to try on a Sampan hat. Who knew I’d be able to do that in cowboy country?
    This was inside the King Ranch Saddle Shop in Kingsville. I think this guy liked Cindy
    Me, doing my best Vanna White pose, showing this tree decorated with antlers!
    Cindy and our bus driver/tour guide.
    Cindy and I sat at the back of the bus
    Photos through a drizzly, wet window aren’t the best. The King Ranch brand is everywhere
    The King Ranch was instrumental in the development of the American quarter horse.
    The turkey vultures were numerous and huge!
    Originally named “The Santa Gertrudis Ranch” … The Santa Gertrudis name was given to the cattle that the ranch is famous for developing
    A small portion of the beautiful King Mansion – still in use by descendants of the namesake who built it

    After my post Steamroller Blues? , I promised some of my followers that I would explain the festival in greater detail.